Way Better Patent Box Scores

Patents @ June 17, 2014

A Rest

This week USPTO granted 4,893 utility, design, and plant patents representing the work of 13,333 named inventors, a rest in the output of new grants.

This week's top ten patent classifications accounted for 22.9% of new grants. Information-based patents accounted for 82% of these patents. Electrical patents patents related to semi–conductors, computers, networking technology, location services, and telecommunications accounted for 2,389 of this week's grants. Within the chemical domain semiconductor device manufacturing accounted for 91 new patents, radiation imagery chemistry contributed another 20, and electrical current producing apparatus, product and process inventions accounted for 27. Business methods patents and those with business methods elements granted this week are 99 and 26 respectively.

As of June 17, 2014 USPTO has granted 134,278 utility patents this year consisting of 25,758 (19.2%) chemical domain patents; 72,575 (54.0%) electrical domain patents; and 35,945 (26.8%) mechanically–focused patents. This reflects a +9.63% increase year over year (+9.63%Y/Y) for all utility patent grants with +9.26%Y/Y for chemical patents; +10.08%Y/Y for electrical patents; and +9.00%Y/Y performance for mechanical patents. To date 10,576 design patents (-3.75%Y/Y) have been granted along with 431 (+13.72%Y/Y) plant patents.

Corrections total 10,206 year–to–date. USPTO added another 597 new corrections this week.

This week the global breakdown shows US first–named inventors receiving 2,532 (51.6%) of the week's grants and foreign first–named inventors receiving 2,373 (48.4%) of the new grants. The top ten foreign country recipients were responsible for 85.3% of all of the foreign patents received this week and 41.3% of all patents. The top ten US states received 66.5% of US patents and 34.3% of all patents.

Japan (752) led the recipients of new US patents from foreign and Asian inventors. This is 31.7% of the patents granted for foreign first–named inventors and 15.3% of all patents. Germany (261) led European inventors. This week inventors from the European Union (EU) received 722 of the 770 patents with first–named inventors from European countries. North American first–named inventors received 2,642 patents this week, 53.9% of the total patents granted.

Inventors

This week's utility, design, and plant patents represent the work of 13,333 named inventors. Utility patents average 2.8 inventors per patent. Design and Plant patents average 2.1 and 1.4, respectively.

Plant Patents

Plant Patents are granted to an inventor who invents or discovers and asexually reproduces a distinct and new variety of plant, other than a tuber propagated plant or a plant found in an uncultivated state. If you've ever eaten a pluot, you've enjoyed the fruit of a plant patent. This week USPTO granted 18 new plant patents, (431 so far this year).

This week patents with first–named inventors identified by countries outside of the US accounted for 2,373 patents or 48.4% of this week's patents.

Asian inventors continue to dominate the number of foreign first–named inventors receiving patents contributing 1,381 patent or 58.2%, of patents awarded to foreign grantees and 28.2% of the total granted this week. East and Southeast Asian first–named inventors received 1,332 including patents granted to Japan (752); Korea (254); Taiwan (177); China (113); Singapore (14); Hong Kong (12); Malaysia (5); Philippines (1) and Thailand (3). India (49) was responsible for the 49 patents from South Asia. Inventors in the Russian Federation received three (3).

European inventors were granted 770 patents this week or 32.4% of all foreign patents granted and 15.7% of all patents this week. European Union countries received 722 patents. Non-EU countries received 48 — Switzerland (38); Norway (9); Liechtenstein (1).

North American patents accounted for 2,642 of the total patents granted this week. The count includes the 2,532 patents granted to US first–named inventors; and inventions awarded to Canada (107) and Mexico (3). North American inventors received 53.9% of all patents granted this week.

Central American and Caribbean based inventors received 1 patent this week awarded to first–named inventors from Costa Rica (1).

South American participation included ten (10): Brazil (4), followed by Chile (4); Argentina (2).

There were three (3) African grantees this week: South Africa (2), followed by Egypt (1).

Oceania based inventors were granted 31 patent — Australia (29), followed by New Zealand (2).

(Way Better Patents™ organizes its Global Indicators based on the region designations assigned by the US CIA World Fact Book.)